globalchange  > 过去全球变化的重建
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148795
论文题名:
Potential Foraging Decisions by a Desert Ungulate to Balance Water and Nutrient Intake in a Water-Stressed Environment
作者: Jay V. Gedir; James W. Cain III; Paul R. Krausman; Jamison D. Allen; Glenn C. Duff; John R. Morgart
刊名: PLOS ONE
ISSN: 1932-6203
出版年: 2016
发表日期: 2016-2-19
卷: 11, 期:2
语种: 英语
英文关键词: Diet ; Water resources ; Deserts ; Seasons ; Nutrients ; Sheep ; Surface water ; Foraging
英文摘要: Arid climates have unpredictable precipitation patterns, and wildlife managers often provide supplemental water to help desert ungulates endure the hottest, driest periods. When surface water is unavailable, the only source of water for ungulates comes from the forage they consume, and they must make resourceful foraging decisions to meet their requirements. We compared two desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) populations in Arizona, USA: a treatment population with supplemental water removed during treatment, and a control population. We examined whether sheep altered their seasonal diets without supplemental water. We calculated water and nutrient intake and metabolic water production from dry matter intake and forage moisture and nitrogen content, to determine whether sheep could meet their seasonal daily water and nutrient requirements solely from forage. Diets of sheep were higher in protein (all seasons) and moisture (autumn and winter) during treatment compared to pretreatment. During treatment, sheep diet composition was similar between the treatment and control populations, which suggests, under the climatic conditions of this study, water removal did not influence sheep diets. We estimated that under drought conditions, without any surface water available (although small ephemeral potholes would contain water after rains), female and male sheep would be unable to meet their daily water requirements in all seasons, except winter, when reproductive females had a nitrogen deficit. We determined that sheep could achieve water and nutrient balances in all seasons by shifting their total diet proportions by 8–55% from lower to higher moisture and nitrogen forage species. We elucidate how seasonal forage quality and foraging decisions by desert ungulates allow them to cope with their xeric and uncertain environment, and suggest that, with the forage conditions observed in our study area during this study period, providing supplemental water during water-stressed periods may not be necessary for desert bighorn sheep.
URL: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0148795&type=printable
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资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/25428
Appears in Collections:过去全球变化的重建
影响、适应和脆弱性
科学计划与规划
气候变化与战略
全球变化的国际研究计划
气候减缓与适应
气候变化事实与影响

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作者单位: Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States of America;U.S. Geological Survey New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States of America;School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America;Department of Animal Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America;Department of Animal Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America;United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Ajo, Arizona, United States of America

Recommended Citation:
Jay V. Gedir,James W. Cain III,Paul R. Krausman,et al. Potential Foraging Decisions by a Desert Ungulate to Balance Water and Nutrient Intake in a Water-Stressed Environment[J]. PLOS ONE,2016-01-01,11(2)
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